lindstrom



May 15, 1962 E. v. LINDSTROM NTING FOR INTERCHANGEABLE WALL PANELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MOU Filed Aug. 24, 1959 INVENTOR [4156 [IA/051201 ATTORNEY May 15, 1962 E. v. LINDSTROM MOUNTING FOR INTERCHANGEABLE WALL PANELS Filed Aug. 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a m a 1 u INVENTOR 1241512 I mwflzau ATTORNEY Stats 3,034,184 MOUNTING FOR INTERCHANGEABLE WALL PANELS Elmer V. Lindstrom, Jamestown, N .Y., assignor to Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company, Jamestown, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 835,709 9 Claims, (Cl. 20-924) equipped with self-service elevators and do not require the presence of. an attendant for their operation. This, of course, means that the passengers have sole control of operation, with no ofiicial available to caution or offer suggestions as to operation and care. With respect to some buildings in which elevators of this type are used, little or no problem of their use and care by passenger operators presents itself. However, there are some instances such, for example, in connection with elevators in apart ment buildings, where a considerable measure of breakage or damage occurs, due, no doubt, to the variety and age of persons who operate such elevators and the lack of care or understanding of requirements for their proper use. Regardless of the particular building in which selfservice elevators are installed, there are always persons who are careless in the use of others property and there are always persons who do not hesitate to damage, deface, or remove the property of others when no one in authority is in attendance. Evidence indicates that the interior finished Walls of self-service elevators are highly subject to damage and must periodically be repaired or refinished. This has led some manufacturers to decorate or finish elevator car walls with removable panels which are easily installed or removed and replaced in case of damage and, yet, will provide or create satisfactory ornamentation or styling. However, the very fact that the decorative panels are removable in case of damage, presents another problem; namely, the finding of some way of preventing unauthorized panel removal.

The present invention is directed to andhas for an object the provision of a decorative or finished panel, that may be removably attached and secured to a building or other wall, such as the vertical wall of an elevator car.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of means for securing a decorative panel, in predetermined spaced relation, to the wall to which it is applied. In this connection it is considered highly advantageous to provide means by which to assure both vertical and horizontal alignment of finished panels with respect to each other, as well as the wall to which they are attached.

Another important object of the invention is to be found in the provision of means for eliminating transfer of any vibration as between panel and wall, as well as the transfer of sound, as might occur when panels are at- Pa t nted May 15, ieez more fully understood from a consideration of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an elevator car fitted with panels in which one form of the invention is embodied;

QFIG. '2 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of a portion of a panel at one place of attachment and shows the panel fastener in dotted line (see line 22 of FIG. 3); v

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 2 and shows, in dotted line, the manner in which the panel fastener is brought into engagement with a keeper on the wall of the car;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; I

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, and taken as suggested by the line 55 of FIG. 4; I

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary'perspective view showing one of the panel fasteners preparatory to engagement. with a keeper in the car wall;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary front elevational view, partly in section, of that portion of the panelprovided with a panel locking device, the device being shown in solid and dotted lines (see line 7-7 of FIG. 8);

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view, taken substantially as indicated by the line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, showing the lock bolt in operative position, being taken substantially on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the locking l mechanism, being taken substantially on the line 10'10 tached to a wall of a movable structure such as an eleof FIG. 8. v

The structure of the invention is for the purpose of removably mounting ornamental or decorative panels and providingmeans for securing these panels in place when mounted. The panels herein shown and described may, in one form or another, be found useful and decorative when applied to walls other than the. walls of an elevator car. However, in order that the invention may disclose a particular use, panels embodying the invention are shown in an elevator car, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. Of course, the car 10 includes vertical walls 11 and, in the present disclosure (FIG. 1) only one such vertical wall need be shown. It is pro posed to cover the inner face of this wall with a number of panels 12. These panels may, as shown, extend from adjacent the baseboard 13 into near proximity with the car top 14, or may be of any suitable lesser size.

In their present form, panels 12 are of Wood with metal sheathing. It is, however, considered that the fasteners embodying the invention are equally applicable to all metal panels or, as presently suggested, combined metal and wood panels. exposed face of a Wood filler or other body portion 15A and is flanged, as at 16, to enclose the edges of the body portion. Along the sidesand bottom, flanges 16 may be return bent, as at 17, to firmly secure the plate to the body portion. As may be noted in FIG. 10, the upper edge of the plate is formed by a flange 18 which-may be above the portion 15A to provide space in which to locate panel locking means. This locking means could,

of course, be readily accommodated in a hollow metal panel or in a suitable recess in the upper edge of a wood panel. In fact, flange 18 could directly engage the upper, edge of portion 15A which, in turn, could be recessed for the locking means. Attached to each panel is a set and terminates in a horizontal 'T-shaped'hook 24. As

of fasteners 19 by which the panel is mounted on the car Each fastener includes a base 20 which is wall 11. secured to the inner face of the portion 15A by screws 21. A stem 22 extends perpendicularly from the base 20 A metal plate 15 covers the I whene fastener is engaged with its keeper.

extend the full height of the car, it is proposed to mount each panel through the aid of six fasteners the location and spacing thereof being suggested in dottedlines in FIG. 1.

The car wall 11 is provided with keepers for the hooks- 2-4of eachfastener. These keepers are of a number and arrangement corresponding to the number of panels and fasteners. Each keeper includes a generally T-shaped slot 26 in the wall 11, the stem portion 27 being beneath and centered with respect to the length of the cross portion 28. The meeting walls of portions 27 and 28 "are beveled, as at 29,10 guide the stem 22 into portion 27 during panel mounting.

Each keeper also includes an enclosure 31, attached to the rear face of wall 11, which serves to box in slot The end walls 32.0f each enclosure are spaced apart a distance such thatthe ends of the hook sleeves 25 will have contact therewith when a hook is projected into or the hook and the panel. to which it is attac hed and eliminates allpos'sibility of vibration in this direction. The rear wall 33 is spaced from the wall 11 a distance slightly less than the diameter of the. resilient sleeves 25 in order that these sleeves will be slightly compressed In this manner, each hook, when engaged with a keeper, ls shielded against vibration. It is of importance to note that by reason of the structure of the hooks and keepers, eachpanel may be laterally spaced from the wall 11 to an extent determined by the length of the stems 22.

As may be seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, to mount the panel I it-must first be so positioned in front of the wall 11 that eachfof the fastener books 24 is aligned with a keeper slot 26 Movement of the panel towards this wall causes the hooks 24 to enter the slots to a point where the sleeves 25 abut enclosure walls 33. The

panel is now moved downwardly, the stem 22 of each fastener moving into portion 27 of slot 26. By the act of' inserting the hooks, the resilient sleeves are radially compressed and to some extent elongated, thus causing the ends thereof to snugly engagethe enclosure end walls; 32. Movement of the hooks downwardly into final posltlon results in the hooks being firmly secured and,

at'the same time protected against transmission thereto of any vibration of the Wall 11. With a suitable number of fasteners, it is found that panels of various sizes a may be quickly and easily mounted on a wall, such as the wall 11, and that such panels will not jar or vibrate V loose, or tend to produce noise, regardless, of their application.

Inasmuch as the invention is directed to structure for removably mounting any of a variety of panels in spaced relation to a wall, it is only mentioned that, although the panel shown is a combination of a metal facing with wood or similar material as a backing, panels made entirely of metal or wood, when provided with the present fastener and keeper, would be securable in the manner above described and with the same advantages.

As has been mentioned, the very fact that panels 12 [may be easily installed or removed tends to invite unauthorized tampering and, as a part of the present invention it is proposed to include means for locking these panels agaiustfremoval when once in place. Such locking, means would ihclude a key of one form or another for actuating ;it, the key, of course, being under the control. of those having authority to remove and replace these panels. -To this end, attention is now directed to FIGS. Tto 10, inclusive, wherein such panel locking means is shown. Giving particular attention for the moment to FlG. 7,. it will be noted that the rearwardly panel, suspends the panel locking means.

of a swingable locking bolt 46 has a circular depressed area 47, the rim of which lieswithin the space '48 between the plates 42. Thecircular area 47 projects into the opening 44 in the lowerplate 42 and, as presently shown, has a triangular hole -49 which is on vertical center with the plate and bracket openings and an opening 51 in the flange 18. A key 52, somewhat similar to a conventional Allen wrench, has a triangular end which may be projected through the above described openings into the triangular hole 49 of the bolt. Turning the key causes the free end 53 of the bolt to swing into or out of the panel directly beneath the down turned edge 18A of flange 18. The car wall 11 has a horiits keeper. This arrangement prevents lateral movement remove such panels.

zontal slot 54 for each of the locking devices and, as may be seen in FIG. 9, this slot is tapered from one end to the other and is of such length that the end 53 of the bolt, when turned by the key 52, will swing into the larger portion of the slot and thence into the restricted area thereof. This movement of the'bolt is such as to' assure firmly seating. the hooks 24 in the keepers.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the panels 12, or their equivalent, may be attached to the wall 11 and, when so attached, be locked in place by means that is concealed from view and, in all probability, unavailable to anyone other than a person authorized to install or It will, of course, be understood that the invention is applicable to panels of ditferent sizes and shapes and that the disclosed fastening means may be used in whatever multiple arrangement may be required for any given size panel and, furthermore, that each panel, when mounted, may be locked against unauthorized removal. Any changes in the details of the fastening and locking means for panels of this general nature are considered as being within the spirit and scope of the invention insofar as they are encompassed by the annexed claims.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim as new and for which I desire protection by Letters Patent is:

l. Structure for mounting and securing a panel in spaced relation to a wall, said structure comprising a fastener having a base adapted to be secured to the rear of said panel, a stem on said base extending from the rear face of said panel a predetermined distance, a hook at the end of said stem, a keeper adapted to be recessed in said wall and consisting of a box-like element enclosing the rear of a slot in said Wall, certain walls of said element cooperating with that portion of said walladjacent said slot to engage and position said hook and resilient means adjacent each hook held in a compressed state when said hook is engaged with the walls of said slot.

2. Structure for mounting a panel on a wall, said structure comprising a fastener consisting of a base secured to the rear face of said panel, a hook member extending away from said base, said wall having a T-shaped slot for receiving said member, means cooperating" with the 7 area of said wall adjacent said slot to secure said memher and prevent displacement of said panel, and resilient .means held in a compressed state when said member is engaged with said slot.

3. Structure for mounting a panel on a wall, said structure comprising a fastener having a generally T- shaped' hook spaced from a base portion thereof that is secured to the rear face of said panel, said wall having a slot for receiving said hook, a keeper including means i "all.

cooperating with the area of said wall adjacent a slot therein to locate and secure said hook in a predetermined position whereby to coordinate said panel with said wall and any other panels similarly mounted, and means for cushioning the engagement of said hook with said keeper.

4. Structure for mounting a panel on a Wall said structure comprising a fastener having a base secured to the rear face of said panel, a stern extending away from said base and terminating in a hook, resilient means enclosing said hook, the length of said stem serving to determine the spacing of said panel from said wall when mounted, a keeper on said wall consisting of an enclosure having a slotted entrance opening, means in said keeper at the rear of said opening cooperating with adjacent parts of said wall and said keeper to engage and slightly compress said resilient means whereby to cushion the engaged portions of said fastener and said keeper and eliminate transmission of vibrations therebetween.

5. Structure for mounting a panel on a wall said structure comprising a fastener having a base secured to the rear face of said panel, a stem extending away from said base and terminating in a hook, resilient means enclosing said hook, the length of said stem serving to determine the spacing of said panel from said wall when mounted, a keeper on said wall consisting of an enclosure having a slotted entrance opening, said enclosure having Walls cooperating with the area adjacent said opening to constrain movement of said hook into a position to engage and yieldingly secure the resilient means on said hook whereby to eliminate transmission of vibrations between said fastener and said keeper.

6. Structure for mounting and securing a panel in spaced relation to a wall, said structure comprising a fastener having a base secured to the rear of said panel, a stem extending away from said base and terminating in a hook, the length of said stem determining the extent to which said panel is spaced from said wall when mounted, a keeper on said wall consisting of an enclosure having a slotted entrance opening, said hook being freely projectable into said enclosure and movable in a direction to engage it with the walls thereof, and locking means operable to secure said panel against movement in a direction opposite that required to engage said hook with the enclosure walls.

7. Structure for mounting and securing a panel in spaced relation to a wall, said structure comprising a fastener having a base secured to the rear of said panel, a stem extending away from said base and terminating in a hook, a resilient sleeve on said hook, the length of said stem between said base and said sleeve determining the extent to which said panel is spaced from said wall when mounted, a keeper on said wall consisting of an enclosure having a front facing slotted opening for said hook, said sleeve, When said hook has entered said keeper and been moved into securing position, being engaged under pressure with certain Walls of the enclosure and providing a deadener to the transmission of vibrations as between said panel and said Wall, a swing bolt on said panel movable to enter a slot in said wall to secure said panel against movement in a direction to disengage said hook from said keeper, and removable means for manually actuating said bolt.

8. Structure for mounting a panel on a wall, said struc ture comprising a fastener having a generally T-shaped hook spaced from a base portion thereof that is secured to the rear face of said panel, a keeper on said wall consisting of an enclosure having a slotted entrance opening, said keeper including means cooperating with the area of said wall adjacent said opening to locate and secure said hook in a predetermined position whereby to coordinate said panel with said Wall and any other panels similarly mounted, resilient means interposed between the engaging portions of hook and said keeper for preventing transmission of vibrations as between said panel and said wall, and means manually operable to secure said panel against movement in a direction to disengage said hook from said keeper.

9. Structure for mounting a panel on a Well, said structure comprising a fastener having a generally T-shaped hook spaced from a base portion thereof that is secured to the rear face of said panel, resilient sleeves on the cross portions of said hook, a keeper on said wall'consisting of an enclosure having a slotted entrance opening, said opening consisting of a T-shaped slot backed by said enclosure, the cross portion of said slot permitting entry of the cross portions of said hook, said sleeves, when said hook has entered said slot and been moved into securing position, being engaged with certain of the walls of said enclosure and serving to locate and secure said hook in a predetermined position whereby to coordinate said panel with said wall and any other panels similarly mounted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 264,638 Dill Sept. 19, 1882 1,432,349 McFarland Oct. 17, 1922 2,033,100 Kellogg Mar. 3, 1936 2,432,445 Roe Dec. 9, 1947 2,708,292 Budai May 17, 1955 

